Access control systems provide security to homes and businesses by controlling access to a facility and preventing unwanted intrusions, an by providing notification of events or unusual activities at the facility. Generally, an access control system has both hardware and software that are integrated to provide security technologies. Most systems contain access control panels that operate with software to control access, identify users, and detect intruders.
Access control systems have many features and are complicated to configure and maintain, and access control software has historically put the responsibility for understanding requirements and procedures necessary to program and operate an access control system upon the user. This is usually not an issue for large institutions—such as banks and insurance companies—who can afford to train and keep a specialist on staff. However, sites with few personnel, such as owner-operated businesses, for example jewelry stores, small offices for professional services, for example doctors, lawyers, accountants, and warehouses, or sites whose personnel have no or minimal technical background, cannot afford to train someone to understand the concepts and complicated software necessary or required in typical access control programs. What is needed is software with an intuitive user interface design that guides an untrained operator through the setup process and daily operation of the access control system, but which also provides the breadth of functionality required by expert users.